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Life After Sugar: Complex Carbohydrates Made Simple

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Published: 01Mar2006
Word count: 526
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So much has been made of carbohydrates the last few years, good and bad.

Carbohydrates are chemicals that are changed by digestion into sugars - glucose - which are then transported throughout the body to either be used as fuel or stored as fat. But that’s not the whole story.

Carbohydrates come in two basic forms: complex and simple. Simple carbs are one, two, or at most three units of sugar linked together in single molecules. Complex carbs are hundreds or thousands of sugar units linked together in single molecules. Simple sugars are easily identified by their taste: sweet. Complex carbs, such as potatoes, are pleasant to the taste buds, but not sweet.

There are two groups of complex carbs: high fiber and low fiber.

High-fiber, complex carbs are not digestible, at least not by human beings, because we do not have the enzyme to do the job. Cows have that enzyme; that is why they can get calories out of grass, and we cannot. The main stuff in high-fiber, complex carbs which is indigestible by humans is called "cellulose." High-fiber (high-cellulose) vegetable foods are the healthiest choices for human nutrition, and intake of these foods is associated with lowered incidences of hypertension, cancer, arthritis, diabetes, etc. Examples are lettuce and broccoli.

Examples of low-fiber, complex carbs are banana, tomato, squash and all cereals and grains (therefore bread and pasta), potatoes and rice. It matters not if a carb is simple or complex. After digestion, it appears in the circulatory system as glucose, on its way to the cells where it is used for energy

Simple sugars and low-fiber, complex carbs represent a threat to health when they are consumed in high amounts.

While it is true that fiber is an important part of your diet, even necessary to protect you from some diseases, carbohydrates themselves are not necessary. There are "essential" fatty acids and "essential" amino acids (from protein), however there are no known essential carbohydrates.

Most of our carbohydrates come from cereals and grains, both products of the agricultural revolution. Our bodies are not genetically designed to thrive on large amounts of these fiberless complex carbs. With the popularity of cereal- and grain-based "health diets," our carbohydrate metabolism has been upset because we simply cannot handle this large load of carbs.

Increased insulin output from the pancreas, over the years, results in hyperinsulinism, insulin resistance and the resulting diseases mentioned above: hypertension, dyslipidemia, atherosclerosis and heart disease.

Complex carbs with lots of fiber are rich sources of necessary vitamins and minerals as well as enzymes when in the raw state. The problem happens when carbohydrates are altered by processes which provide empty calories stripped of much of their original food value.

The most healthy form is the complex carbohydrates present in high-fiber vegetables; however, it is certainly acceptable to spice up your diet in moderation with simple sugars in the form of whole fruits. Eat your fruits, do not juice them and drink them.

Try to stay away from processed sugar and simple sugars. The less you have the better you will look and feel for sure.

For more good sense diet tips and to discover Cindy Lewis' gourmet sugar free recipes, visit her web site at http://www.501sugarfreerecipes.com

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